MTAC
This weekend was a blast and most of what I did came up at the last minute. I had originally anticipated spending this weekend hauled up in my dorm room doing homework because my boyfriend was going off to the MTAC convention (an anime convention that took place in Nashville this weekend). The only bit of fun I had planned was seeing Boondock Saints on Friday night. However, Kase was able to get me an extra ticket to MTAC, so Friday was not the only day of fun for me. Instead, I got to dress up all weekend and participate in the plethora of geeky activities. :)
On Saturday I cosplayed as Susan Rodriguez from Jim Butcher’s the Dresden Files. My boyfriend was going as Dresden, so I thought it was appropriate. Since Susan is a newspaper reporter, I donned the stereotypical pencil skirt and made a fake press badge. While the series is not very famous, dressing up was a lot of fun. Besides, one of the main reasons to go to a convention is to don crazy costumes and go people-watching. :) While I was there, I attended a couple of panels, but my favorite one taught self defense. We learned a basic move that can be used in various situations from a pressuring date to being trapped in a headlock to having a knife pulled on you. The man who ran the session with his wife is a martial arts instructor/comedian by trade, so he cracked a lot of jokes and gave a bunch of extremely helpful advice.
We also went into the main merchandise room and I got to ride inside a Dalek!! They had an empty model you could sit in an move all of its primary features. You walked it like Fred Flintstones’ car. :) Although the voice recording of “EXTERMINATE” was broken, I had loads of fun wandering around the convention inside the Dalek suit chasing a bunch of random strangers. Several people even stopped me for pictures. I realized this weekend that it is completely normal at conventions to run up to people you have never met and hug them because they are dressed as your favorite character. Similarly, you can take pictures with them like I did with Esmeralda here simply because they cosplayed as something cool (or even better–as something related to your costume). MTAC had a plethora of interesting geeky trinkets on sale, including (but not limited to) lego-made character models, professional katanas, and those tiny intricately-decorated hats. I got to try on an authentic Renaissance corset with medical-grade boning. I didn’t buy it because it was $200, but I loved trying it on because I have wanted to wear one since I saw the movie Titanic as a kid. :) The final thing we did last night before I headed home was go to a rave. It was full of brightly-colored lights and decorations. Nearly everyone from the convention made an appearance at one point or another, in psychedelic costumes. Glow sticks and flashing jewelry abounded and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
Overall, I got to spend a really fun geeky weekend with a bunch of people visiting my “hometown”. It made me appreciate just how lucky I am to live in this city. :D
…Until next time!